SFA University
January 14, 2017 - NACOGDOCHES, Texas – An exhibition of works by the late Andy Warhol will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.
The exhibition – Andy Warhol: Art Is Anything You Can Get Away With – will feature a small slice of the artist’s enormous oeuvre, in particular, his “Silver Clouds” – helium-filled silver clouds that drift in the air, according to John Handley, director of galleries at Stephen F. Austin State University.
According to information found at www.warhol.org, “‘Silver Clouds’ continually surprises viewers’ expectations and is the result of a collaboration between artist Andy Warhol and engineer Billy Klüver. Exhibited in 1966 at the Leo Castelli Gallery, ‘Silver Clouds’ created an ethereal, joyful atmosphere, and challenged traditional expectations of art by mingling with and touching the viewer. Klüver’s knowledge of technology helped bring Warhol’s vision to life. The engineer recalls that their original plan was to somehow make floating light bulbs, but that when his research group at Bell Labs showed Warhol a sample of the material scotchpak – a metalized plastic film made by 3M that could be heat-sealed – he is reported to have said, ‘Let’s make clouds.’ The clouds, filled with helium and oxygen, floated through the gallery on air currents, bumping into each other and into viewers in the space.”
“The premiere of ‘Silver Clouds’ at the Castelli Gallery was accompanied by Warhol’s now iconic wallpaper, in this case, his silkscreen pink cow heads on yellow background,” Handley said. “For the exhibition at the Cole, a portion of this original presentation will be recreated.”
The exhibition will also include three of his large screen prints and several of his Polaroid photos.
An American artist who was a leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol’s works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s.
“To this day, Warhol’s influence on American art is studied and analyzed by art historians,” Handley said.
Warhol first worked as a commercial illustrator for magazine and other publications. He later became a renowned, often misunderstood and sometimes controversial artist, Handley said. He worked in many types of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silkscreen, sculpture, film and music.
“His studio, know as The Factory, was a well-known gathering place that attracted both distinguished intellectuals and those on the fringe of society,” Handley explained.
This exhibition is made possible by the The Andy Warhol Museum, The Andy Warhol Foundation and Texas Christian University. It is sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts, Nacogdoches Junior Forum and the Texas Commission on the Arts, which is the state affiliate the National Endowment of the Arts.
The Cole Art Center, SFA’s historic gallery, is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.
January 13, 2017 - NACOGDOCHES – Dr. Shauna Thompson, assistant professor of flute at Texas Christian University, will perform in a guest recital at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.
Performing with Dr. Ron Petti, director of accompanying for the SFA School of Music, Thompson’s program will feature works of G.P. Telemann, Eugene Bozza, Martin Blessinger, David Loeb and Jules Mouquet.
Thompson is coordinator of the Professional Flute Choir Competition for the National Flute Association and has previously served as co-chair for the Texas Flute Society’s annual festival. She has been a featured performer at National Flute Association conventions and has been a prizewinner at numerous national flute competitions. She has performed with orchestras and symphonies in Cincinnati, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and Fort Worth. She performs in the DFW area as a member of Metroplex Flutes.
Thompson’s guest performance is part of the School of Music’s Cole Performing Arts Series. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
December 20, 2016 NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “Inequality For All” at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.
In this 2013 film by Jacob Kornbluth, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich discusses the economic and social consequences that may result if the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. A best-selling author of 13 books, Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at UC-Berkley. He is considered an expert on economics.
In directing the film, Kornbluth said he drew on his personal experiences as a child living in extreme poverty to “make a film that a wide variety of people can connect to.”
“The film I hope we made is one that educates at the same time it inspires,” Kornbluth said, “and speaks to what we can hope for to make America better.”
”Inequality For All” won a Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and Best Documentary Film at the Traverse City Film Festival the same year.
This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by William Arscott, Nacogdoches Film Festival, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, David Kulhavy, Brad Maule, John and Kristen Heath, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens, Jim and Mary Neal, Richard Orton, Main Street Nacogdoches and Nacogdoches Junior Forum.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.
December 13, 2016 – The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music will present Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at 6 p.m. Thursday, December 15, and at 11 a.m. Friday, December 16, in Cole Concert Hall in the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.
“Amahl and the Night Visitors,” a 45-minute Christmas opera performed in English, has delighted audiences since its television premiere in 1951. The Three Kings, on their search for the Christ Child, stop for the night at the home of a widow and her young, disabled son.
“This touching – and often funny – tale will leave a lasting impression and is a perfect introduction to opera for children of all ages,” said Dr. Scott LaGraff, SFA associate professor of voice.
Noble Peck, son of Dr. and Mrs. Adam Peck, will sing the title role of Amahl. SFA Dance Program students Ashley Jensen and Montrell Releford are dancers, and Haley Hoss Jameson, associate professor of dance, will serve as choreographer.
Other cast members for the Thursday night performance include Julie Moore, Tyler senior, as the mother; Zachary Thomas Newman, Baytown graduate student, as Kaspar; Andrew Michael Sanchez, San Antonio senior, as Melchior; and Brenton Mattox, Dayton graduate student, as Balthazar. Friday performance cast members are Kelsey Quinn, San Antonio graduate student, as the mother; René Rodriguez, Houston senior, as Kaspar; Roland Rodriguez, Houston senior, as Melchior; and E.J. Grayson, Houston senior, as Balthazar. Jacob Rivas, The Colony junior, is Page for both performances.
The opera is part of the School of Music’s Cole Performing Arts Series.
Tickets for the Thursday night performance are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, students and youth. Tickets for the Friday morning performance are $6 for individuals and $5 each for groups of 20 or more. For tickets or information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.
December 12, 2016 NACOGDOCHES, Texas — State Rep. and Stephen F. Austin State University alumnus Jason Isaac will offer the commencement address during SFA’s fall graduation ceremonies Saturday, December 17.
Isaac graduated SFA with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1996 with a major in marketing and a minor in management. He met his wife, Carrie, in a history class at SFA, and the couple married a few years after graduation. During his time at SFA, Isaac founded the university’s lacrosse team, which is still active today, and he was president of the Association of Sports Clubs.
After graduation, Isaac worked in the transportation industry marketing technology to help improve the safety and efficiency of trucking companies. Today, he owns a company that assists small businesses achieve sales and marketing goals.
A fourth-generation Texan, Isaac was elected a state representative in 2011. He represents the Texas House of Representatives’ District 45, which includes Blanco and Hays Counties near Austin. He is the only SFA graduate currently serving in the Texas Legislature.
Isaac’s legislative priorities include reducing taxes, preserving a reliable groundwater supply, improving the public education system, and ensuring the oil and gas industry continues to thrive.
Isaac also serves as vice president of the Texas Conservative Coalition and founded the Hill Country Caucus, an organization comprising legislators who are dedicated to promoting and preserving the unique features and resources of the Texas Hill Country. The TCC has named Isaac its Courageous Conservative every session.
Candidates from SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education and College of Fine Arts will participate in a 9:30 a.m. ceremony. Candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Rusche College of Business, the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, and the College of Sciences and Mathematics will participate in a 2 p.m. ceremony.
An estimated 938 degrees will be awarded, including 801 bachelor’s degrees, 134 master’s degrees and three doctoral degrees. More than 180 students will graduate with honors, including 75 cum laude, 59 summa cum laude and 46 magna cum laude. Also, there will be 30 students graduating with the university scholar designation. One posthumous degree will be awarded.
Master’s and doctoral candidates will graduate with their respective colleges, and Isaac will provide the commencement address at both ceremonies.
December 8, 2016 NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Four Stephen F. Austin State University donors will be honored during the 28th annual SFA Gala Saturday, December 10, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.
This year’s Gala honorees include Elvin “Buddy” and Tommie Jan Lowery, Mattress Firm, the Bone Hill Foundation, and Kathy and Robert Lehmann.
“We are looking forward to this year’s Gala,” said Jill Still, SFA vice president for university advancement. “We are excited to again recognize the commitment and kindness of donors who support SFA’s programs and students, as well as faculty members who give so much of their time to the university community.”
The Gala cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a candlelight dinner at 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Blind Date, featuring seven of Austin's most accomplished musicians whose repertoire ranges from dance music to jazz, rock, country and hip hop.
Tickets are $175 for orchestra seating and $125 for ballroom seating. Proceeds from the Gala help build a permanent endowment created by the SFASU Foundation to honor faculty achievement. For more information or to purchase tickets, call April Smith at (936) 468-5406.
Elvin “Buddy” and Tommie Jan Lowery
The Tommie Jan and Elvin Lowery Court in the William R. Johnson Coliseum on the SFA campus is named in honor of Elvin, the university’s first graduate to play in the NBA, and his wife, Tommie, a former SFA history professor. The couple donated funding to renovate the nearly 30-year-old court, officially unveiled in August 2015, and also have provided funding for student scholarships.
Elvin “Buddy” Lowery was born in Nacogdoches County and attended Huntington High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from SFA in 1959. Elvin played for the Lumberjack basketball team under coach John O. Stephens from 1957-59. During that time, he led the Lumberjacks with 391 points, was named to the all-conference team in 1959 and received the Todd Memorial Award. Elvin later played in the Industrial Basketball League for the Technical Tapers in New York City and professionally for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball League.
Buddy serves as chairman of the board of Huntington State Bank. Civically, he has served as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department deputy game warden in his free time. He became acquainted with the department through the exotic game ranch he owns.
Tommie Jan Lowery was born in Huntington and graduated as class valedictorian from Huntington High School. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFA in 1957 and 1960, respectively, then went on to attend the University of Virginia. Tommie taught at Lufkin High School before joining the SFA Department of History where, after 37 years, she retired as an associate professor of history.
Tommie served as secretary for the East Texas Historical Association and in many other civic roles, including as president of the McMullen Memorial Library Board.
The Lowery’s son, Lane Lowery, is a director for KTRE-TV of Lufkin. Their daughter, Shana De Paoli of Dallas, serves as advisory director to the board of Huntington State Bank and is married to Dr. Ernest De Paoli. The couple has two children: Morgan, a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia; and Grant, a sophomore at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas.
Mattress Firm
The name “Mattress Firm” has been well known on the SFA campus for years due to ties with Steve Stagner, an SFA alumnus now serving as executive chairman of the Mattress Firm Holding Corp. Most recently, Mattress Firm financed a renovation of a portion of the first floor of the Rusche College of Business to create the Mattress Firm Commons.
The Mattress Firm Commons creates an environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork, according to Amanda Robbins, vice president of talent acquisition and retention for the company. Robbins spoke at the January ribbon cutting on behalf of the company.
"This building is very near and dear to my heart. I've spent many hours on this campus, not only as a student, but also here attracting and acquiring top talent," said Robbins, who also is an SFA graduate. "SFA has really been one of the main pillars of success in our company."
With more than 3,500 company-operated and franchised stores across 49 states, Mattress Firm has the largest geographic footprint in the United States among multi-brand mattress retailers. Founded in 1986, Houston-based Mattress Firm is the nation's leading specialty bedding retailer with over $3.5 billion in pro forma sales in 2015.
Through its brands, including Mattress Firm, Sleepy's and Sleep Train, the company offers a broad selection of both traditional and specialty mattresses, bedding accessories and other related products from leading manufacturers, including Serta, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster, King Coil, and Hampton & Rhodes.
Bone Hill Foundation
The Bone Hill Foundation was established in 1967 with the goal of helping those in need by Will Bridges, owner of the Bone Hill Ranch in Shelby County. Since 1991, the foundation’s board has focused on providing scholarships for students pursuing higher education and actively encourages high school graduates to prepare for the future through college or vocational school training, according to Rick Campbell, Bone Hill Foundation board member.
Bone Hill has funded scholarships for hundreds of SFA students in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, James I. Perkins College of Education, Rusche College of Business, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing, School of Art and engineering program.
The management and sale of timber from the ranch provides income to the foundation, job creation in the timber industry and, most importantly, scholarships for students from Shelby County and the surrounding areas. The Bone Hill Foundation has provided more than $2.8 million in scholarships for Shelby County students.
Dr. Gary Kronrad, who is the Bone Hill Foundation Distinguished Professor within SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, also serves as board chair of the Bone Hill Foundation. He has worked with the foundation to develop a management plan that includes timber resources and wildlife to provide an appropriate balance of the natural resources.
Kathy and Robert Lehmann
The Lehmanns are a gracious, well-known couple who have a distinct, long-standing relationship with the university, both personally and professionally.
Robert “Bob” Lehmann is recognized for his contributions in the advancement of the latest surgical techniques in the management of eye diseases and has been instrumental in bringing new technology to the field of ophthalmology. Kathy, his wife, is a nurse and the administrator of Lehmann Eye Center. She attended SFA from 1977-79, completing her prerequisites for a bachelor’s degree in nursing prior to the university establishing its nursing program.
Through the years, they have supported the College of Fine Arts, Richard and Lucille DeWitt School of Nursing, Department of Modern Languages, hospitality program, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Archie McDonald Speaker Series, student scholarships, athletics and Women in STEM. Kathy also serves as an SFASU Foundation trustee.
The couple’s passion for the sciences, along with their long-standing commitment to SFA, will help catapult SFA students to success.
The Lehmanns are a remarkable couple who complement each other through their community service and family business.
Faculty Awards
Two faculty awards presented during SFA’s annual Gala recognize innovation and excellence in teaching and research. Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant, professor in SFA’s School of Social Work, is the recipient of the 2016 Faculty Achievement Award for Research. Dr. Kevin Langford, SFA associate professor biology and the director for the university’s pre-professional programs, is the recipient of the 2016 Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching.
November 30, 2016 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Human Sciences is home to the Center for Economic Education, which is one of six centers in Texas designed to help train educators who teach students about economic education.
“Financial literacy is such an important area of concern,” said Dr. Nancy Shepherd, who serves as the center’s director and program coordinator for family and consumer sciences at SFA. “SFA is very focused on financial literacy, and it is part of our strategic plan.”
The center operates under the Texas Council on Economic Education. Its primary function is to provide training for teachers across the state. SFA’s center concentrates on serving teachers in Deep East Texas and the Beaumont and Huntsville areas.
During training sessions, Shepherd and other presenters demonstrate how to teach a specific financial topic. The center receives grants to sponsor the trainings, which sometimes funds support materials such as the current VE4.5 jump drive that has more than 1,400 lessons that apply to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Lessons include economics, financial literacy and entrepreneurship courses. Presenters help teachers navigate the lessons and find additional resources to help them in their classrooms.
“We have some great teachers doing really great things, but they need more support and training,” Shepherd said. “They don’t feel comfortable with some of the concepts, so we are trying to provide as much training as we can.”
Shepherd will host a curriculum training session from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at SFA in the Culinary Café, Room 121, located in the Education Annex Building on campus.
The session will focus on understanding fiscal responsibility and utilize real-world situations that illustrate current fiscal issues such as the national debt, budget deficit, national security, Social Security and national policy issues. The training session costs $15. Space is available for the Monday training. To register online, visit www.economicstexas.org.
For more information, contact Shepherd at (936) 468-1413 or shepherd@sfasu.edu.
November 30, 2016 - The combined choirs at Stephen F. Austin State University, along with the Orchestra of the Pines, will present SFA’s traditional holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the university campus.
The highly anticipated annual celebration will feature “Hodie,” or “This Day,” a Christmas cantata by the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, according to Dr. Tim King, director of choral activities for the SFA School of Music.
“This exhilarating telling of the Christmas story was composed between 1953 and 1954,” King said. “It was Williams’ last major choral-orchestral composition and was premiered under his baton at Worcester Cathedral as part of the Three Choirs Festival on Sept. 8,1954.
“The cantata, in 16 movements, is scored for treble chorus, mixed chorus organ and orchestra, and it will feature our SFA voice faculty soloists,” he said. Those include Charlotte Davis, Scott LaGraff and Richard G. Leonberger.
The program will also include the popular Christmas carol sing-a-long that has become a favorite feature of the annual event, King said.
The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Turner Auditorium is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
November 29, 2016 - The Latin Lumberjacks ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform an outdoor holiday concert from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the plaza outside the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.
The Latin Lumberjacks is comprised of members of the Sound Recording Technology program within the SFA School of Music. Directed by Luigi Lazareno, music faculty member, the group will perform a variety of popular holiday songs in salsa style.
The Christmas-themed program will feature colorful, happy salsa sounds that highlight the powerful rhythms of cha-cha-cha, bolero, guaguancó, son montuno, bachata and others performed with congas, bongos, maracas, claves and other Latin music instruments.
“Come join the fun and get in the Christmas spirit,” Lazareno said.
The concert is free. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
November 29, 2016 Nacogdoches – The Rockin’ Axes at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “The Sounds of the ’80s” when the two student ensembles perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Andrew Sperandeo, director of the Rockin’ Axes groups, chose a theme that chronologically followed popular music through the decades because he wanted his students to experience “great music and great artists.”
Beginning with songs of the ’50s and ’60s three years ago, moving to the music of the ’70s last year, and forward to the music of the ’80s this year, Sperandeo’s students have seen how music, culture and style have changed over time, and they have seen how the music of previous decades influenced musicians that followed, he explained.
Among the program selections are “Rosanna,” written by David Paich and recorded by Toto; “Let’s Groove,” written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn and recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire; and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” written by Trevor Rabin and recorded by “Yes.”
Toto was comprised of talented studio musicians from the ‘80’s who played on many of the big hits by other artist of the time, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Sperandeo said.
“‘Rosanna’ can be appreciated by so many because it has solid half-time shuffle groove, catchy chord progression and amazing vocals and harmony,” he said. “It contains a bit more advanced elements such as key changes and style changes, notably in the outro.”
Sperandeo chose “Let’s Groove” because he “always loved the intro bass line double with a vox vocoder, and also because this band is the epitome of groove – great horn lines and vocal harmonies,” he said. “I knew the kids and the audience would have fun with this one.”
Performing “Owner of a Lonely Heart” will allow student to experience a little of the “progressive rock scene” of the ‘80’s, Sperandeo said, “and Yes definitely fell into that category.”
“I love the different textural layers in this tune created from great guitar tone and effects, with synth orchestral hits, hard-hitting bright snare and high clean vocals,” he said. “All of these elements and great mixing and mastering make it sound very progressive, even 30 years later.”
The Contemporary Ensemble will also perform after the two Rockin’ Axes Groups.
“Bust out your leg warmers, jean jackets and parachute pants for this concert as we try to transport you back 30 years to a time where MTV music videos changed the course of music history and culture,” Sperandeo encouraged audience members, “to a time we can all look back at our hair styles and wardrobe and honestly say, ‘What were we thinking?’”
The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
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